August 19th, 2013

UDOT’s Road Weather Information System Network helps with safety

Utah’s unique geography can be a challenge for traffic management and safety. Many of the critical highway routes in the state are in rural areas and can be prone to flooding, snow drifts, landslides, high winds or low visibility due to wild fire smoke. UDOT’s Road Weather Information System (RWIS) network currently has nearly 80 deployments throughout the state. An RWIS unit has several weather sensors that calculate wind speed, precipitation type, roadway temperature and more. Some RWIS have a traffic camera as well.

Utah has had an active winter and spring with several large storms, flooding and landslides. In June, UDOT deployed a portable RWIS unit near Monument Peak on SR-31. This site was adjacent to an area that was burned in a forest fire and was at risk for landslides. The portable RWIS can be relocated at a later date for other uses. The RWIS sends alerts to the UDOT Traffic Operations Center (TOC) meteorologists who can then contact UDOT crews and UDOT management working in a specific area and alert them to any danger of landslides or flooding. The alert information is also shared with the National Weather Service, the National Forest Service, the United States Geological Survey, Utah Highway Patrol and other agencies. UDOT contracts with Northwest Weathernet for meteorological services and RWIS installation.